1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a front-end structure with at least one lower longitudinal member and an absorber which is arranged on the outer side of the vehicle on the at least one longitudinal member and, in the event of an impact with a small overlap, provides an energy-absorbing load path into the at least one lower longitudinal member, wherein at least one deformation element is provided which is arranged at least between the absorber and a suspension strut dome and is connected to both thereof in a positive, non-positive and/or integrally bonded manner.
2. Description of Related Art
The lower longitudinal members are central units of each front-end structure and, as safety-relevant assemblies, substantially contribute to protecting the passenger compartment in the event of a crash. A more exacting requirement, new since 2012, regarding occupant protection is the “Small Overlap Rigid Barrier” (SORB) presented by the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), in which a vehicle is driven at a speed of 64 km/h against a barrier with an approx. 25% overlap. Front-end structures of the type in question are known from the prior art. The International patent publication WO 2014/042257 A1 discloses a front-end structure which has a lower longitudinal member on both the left and right side of the vehicle, the longitudinal members being equipped with an absorber arranged on the outer side of the vehicle, said absorbers providing or ensuring an energy-absorbing load path into the respective lower longitudinal member in the event of an impact with a small overlap. US application document 2013/0241233 discloses a further front-end structure. Although the front-end structures disclosed meet the requirements set for the IIHS load situation (SORB), there is further potential for improvement for increasing the occupant protection.
Taking this as the starting point, it is the object of the present invention to provide a front-end structure which has an improved energy-absorption and intrusion behaviour.